In Memorial

Ah yes, a happy Monday morning to you all!

I was looking through my photographs when I came across this. It says:

In memory of Julie Nybo & “Titch” who loved the estate. March 2003

I often take photos of random objects thinking that I will post and blog about them and then forget, and this was one of them. It is a little plaque on a boulder in the vet school. It does not take a genius to work out that Julie Nybo used to take “Titch” for a walk through the grounds and they are now both departed, although if anyone knows different please get in touch.

Its a nice touch done by people that seemed to know them well, I hope the ashes were scattered in the grounds as well so that they could spend a little longer enjoying it.
Puts me in mind of last year when I came across some young people planting a little bush with a little wooden plaque next to it. They looked quite “rough” in that one had a large knife and was carving something into the bit of wood. I would expect the “Daily Record” would brand them as “Neds” The eldest had carved the fathers name into a bit of plywood. I got chatting to them and it turned out their father had passed away. Sadly the next time I walked by the bush was gone and the wooden plaque as well. Still, every time I walk past that spot I think of those young people obviously grief stricken after the death of their father.

If you look at the brass plaque of Julie and Titch you can see it is bashed as well. Makes you wonder why people vandalize things like that.

YAWN!

Up early and what do I find.It is a few feet deep in places. Funny how we never seem to get snow like this anymore. I am sure it has got somethhing to do with global warming!

The darkest hour is just before dawn!

So it has been threatening snow for weeks now. It has finally happened, just a few days before the season starts, ah yes the darkest hour before spring is upon us all.

I was lying in my bed unable to sleep so thought I would get up for a wee while and browse the net. It is around 2am and the snow is coming down heavy.

I dare say if we had went grayling fishing today it would have been nice but what we did was possibly even nicer- we made plans for the coming season. We have plans to fish a remote hill loch which I have been sworn to secrecy with regards to the name and location. We have plans to fish another two local rivers – the Gryffe and the Avon. We will be having evening and days at our special place as well as our big plans of hitting the Kelvin commando style.

New GVOD Team Members!

I wanted to add some fresh blood to GVOD, so I asked Poke and Maurice to join me in finding funny, cool, and weird videos. Both of these guys have sent me tons of brilliant suggestions, so I think they're well-qualified to have a spot here and broaden your viewing pleasure.

All comments are welcome!

Podcasting - Friend or Foe?

Podcasting is something I’ve been hearing a lot of over the past few months and sometimes I’ll even listen to one or two of them. Recently I had an indepth look at what was on offer in the public podcasting arena, and from what I saw was quite dissapointing. The majority of podcasts that were listed were outdated after only a handful of podcasts, the first few opening weeks had a number of tightly released podcasts quickly dwindling off to nothing after that.

Podcasting can be a great tool to marketing your business providing you have something valuable to discuss that will keep listeners interested week in, week out. After all unless the end user can get some value out of what is being discussed then I hardly see a point in doing it at all. Podcasting like any other means of advertising requires effort and a plan. Let’s hope that we can see some valuable podcasts as this new technology settles down and the men get sorted out from the boys.

Don’t get ripped off!

I’d hate to say it but unfortunately it does happen. Some IT companies are charging extremely high costs for services to unsuspecting victims. For example, I received a call today from a potential client who needed a redesign of their website. After speaking with them about their requirements I googled their current website and found it under their company name. I noticed a website link going back to the previous web design firm and thought what the heck I’ll check them out which I soon learned they also provided the web hosting for this client. Well when I had a look at their hosting costs I nearly fell out of my chair, they were charging $330 for 20mb plus a setup fee of over $50. I’ve looked at many hosting plans before and this has to be at the top of the DO NOT BUY list.

My recommended web hosting company could provide 128 times more space, better service, quality and support, and at less than half the price.

So if you are looking for IT services, make sure you shop around and that you understand what you are getting for the money you going to pay.

Can Microsoft topple Google in the Search Engine Stakes?

here are some interesting developments going on with Microsoft ramping up it’s efforts in a personlised search engine by launching its Beta Windows Live. I’m not sure if Windows Live is set to take over Microsoft’s existing MSN search engine but it appears it will as Windows Live incorporated the rollout of Microsoft’s own Pay Per Click advertising no doubt aiming at stealing away some of Googles market share. Windows Live also allows you to customise the home page so that you can have your local weather, news headlines etc. Also Windows Live has a few options for users where online integration of emails, word processing etc. linking with your local Microsoft Office software so you have a seamless and portable experience. I haven’t tried it but it looks interesting to say the least with the future moving toward online based software as we’ve seen with companies like SalesForce and their online CRM software.

Everybody is wondering if Google is running out of steam with investors not seeing the value in holding on to shares in Google as their stock price continues to slide down from it’s high of $US475.11 to it’s current price of $US343. However Google is renowned for not following typical growth strategies and often finding innovative ways to stay ahead of the pack. Microsoft’s chief Bill Gates isn’t disillusioned commenting that Google still has a couple of years of bliss left in the tank.

It is also alleged that a blogger found information in a Google slide presentation stating that Google is planning to offer unlimited storage for users to store emails, images, etc. so maybe Google is planning their own version of a fully personalised search engine.

Apparently Google has also embarked on a deal to install an application called Google desktop and possible two other applications on desktops and laptops from PC maker Lenovo. Google has also acquired the company Upstartle which owns Writely, a browser based word processor.

I don’t think that Google has run out of steam yet and if the past is any indication of the future then you can bet Google will be around for sometime whiles other big fish like Microsoft will be nipping at their heels all the way.